The government is doing little to curb religious segregation and the influence of faith schools. The new education secretary is a supporter of religious segregation. The chief inspector of schools says more powers are needed to tackle illegal faith schools.

Wakefield City Academies Trust announced in early September that is pulling out of the 21 schools it runs. And in Bradford, a pathfinder acedemy is in special measures within three years of being rated outstanding.

Each successive Secretary of State for Education tightens the noose of state control around schools, and the current one, Nicky Morgan, is no exception. The Schools and Adoption Bill currently making its way through parliament is a short bill with a long arm.

The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) is calling for support for its campaign to save adult education. The area is under increased threat in the run-up to the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review.

In what appears to be the first case of a free school being forced to accept an academy sponsor, Grindon Hall Christian school in Sunderland looks set to be pushed into the arms of the Bright Tribe academy chain.

Statistics quietly released at the end of August tell a devastating story: we are heading for a full-blown teacher supply crisis. For the third year running, ministerial recruitment targets fell woefully short.

Why are governments (Tory, Labour) so obsessed with school testing? The latest wheeze is to test the youngest children within a few weeks of starting full-time school, when most are still just four years old.

Nicky Morgan, the new government’s education secretary, has tried to bolster free schools. Her stance should dispel the illusion that she is more approachable and reasonable than her irascible predecessor.

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